With curly locks the color of honey, Marty was born the youngest child of Croatian parents in Cleveland, Ohio on April 9, 1926.

At the age of two, he and his family moved to Friday Harbor where he attended public schools and enlisted in the Navy during his senior year to serve his country during World War II. While on leave from the Navy, he graduated from Friday Harbor High School in the class of 1944. He married Geraldine (Jerrie) Hammond in 1947 and they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on October 5, 2012.

Marty served his country a second time as a communications specialist during the Korean War starting in 1951. As a proud veteran of two wars, he went on to become the commander of the American Legion Post in Friday Harbor.

He attended the University of Washington in Seattle and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration in 1959.

Marty chose to live the American Dream as he became a very successful salesman in the hardware industry. One of his many sales tactics was to “create a need and fill it.”

After raising five children and seeing to it that they all attended college, Marty and Jerrie retired in 1981, spending the majority of their time on San Juan Island, and wintering in Lake Havasu, Ariz. Marty had a real passion for dancing, as he and Jerrie often danced the night away.

Marty enjoyed living off the land and sea. Throughout his life he planted vegetable gardens and fruit trees, and spent his time hunting and fishing in the great Northwest.

He and Walt Heidenreich, along with family and friends, constructed a lake and cabin on Wold Road. With his “catch from the sea” and his homemade wine, Marty and Jerrie hosted lively gatherings at the cabin on “Percich Pond.”

Marty, “Honey” to some, is survived by daughters Peggy Olver and Sue Patterson and his sons Robert (Sally) Percich, William (Monica) Percich, and Anthony (Carrie) Percich along with nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. A military funeral is planned for the end of July, 2014, in Friday Harbor.

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